Wheel



May 26, 1936. H. M. PFLAGER WHEEL Filed Feb. l0, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 26, l936. H. M. PFLAGER WHEEL Filed Feb. lO, ".1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A//a/w 6,5/

a3 ffy-7a 33 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 WHEEL H. M. PFLAGER Filed Feb. l0', 1953 May 26, 1936.

Patented May 26, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WHEEL Application February 1o, 193s, serial No. 656,075

7 Claims.

'Ihis invention relates to vehicle load-sustaining wheels, and particularly to wheels for railway cars and locomotive drivers.

In order to afford rigidity to spoke-type wheels for railway vehicles in particular, it has been customary to form the spokes of substantial solid section, of box or other hollow section, with cored openings, or of channel section. Where the wheel is formed of cast metal, solid spokes are sub- 10 jected to substantial shrinkage strains during cooling in the mold, which cause casting difculties. Spokes of channel, box or other hollow section require the use of cores which increase the cost of manufacture and make cleaning of the casting a diicult and expensive proposition. Also, in the latter case it is diicult to discover defects in the metal since all surfaces are not exposed.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved and simpliiied vehicle wheel which may be cast in a green sand mold without the use of cores.

Another object is to produce a cast wheel structure with all surfaces exposed so that the casting can be easily inspected and any defects readily discovered.

Another object is to provide a wheel structure utilizing a minimum of metal in the spokes without loss of necessary rigidity and resistance to lateral forces.

Another object is to equalize shrinkage stresses between the spokes and heavier connected parts by gradually thickening the spokes towards their connections with the hub and rim.

Another object is to provide a cast wheel which may be cheaply and readily cleaned.

Still another object is to produce a wheel center structure free of internal pockets for accumulation of dirt, rock, ballast, and other foreign substances.

These objects and others are attained substantially by the structures in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of a locomotive driver center illustrating one form of the invention.

Figures 2, 3, 5, and 6 are secttional views taken on the corresponding section lines of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the mold for forming the cast wheel structure and showing the wheel in section substantially on the line v4 4 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a side view of a car wheel utilizing the invention.

Figures 8, 9 and 10 are sections taken on the corresponding section lines of Figure?.

Figure 11 is a half side view of a car Wheel illustrating a modication. l

Figure 12 is a transverse section taken through the center of the wheel in Figure 11.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary view of a mold 5 similar to Figure 4 and showing a section of a modiiied form of spoke having the transverse web slightly inclined.

In Figures 1 to 6 is shown a locomotive driver wheel center structure formed of an integral l0 casting comprising rim I having an enlarged counterbalance portion 2 with pockets 3 for adjusting the weight of the counterbalance. At the center is the hub 4 for receiving the axle, and having a lateral enlargement 5 perforated l5 for receiving a driving or connecting pin. The rim and hub are connected by a series of Z-shape spokes indicated generally at 6 and 6a.

The spokes 6 are Z-shaped in section, each including a web portion 'I disposed transversely to 20 the plane of the wheel, and outer and inner flanges 8 and 9 substantially paralleling the plane of the wheel and spaced from each other transversely of this plane. The corresponding anges 8 and 9 of adjacent spokes extend towards each 25 other from webs 'I and merge adjacent the hub as at IIJ and II, and adjacent the rim as at I2 and I3. These flanges, together with merged portions I0, II, I2, and I3, constitute, in effect, flat, tapering, spoke-like webs disposed alternately 30 on opposite sides of the wheel and with central openings I 4 and I5, these openings being ref inforced by ribs or beads I6 and I'I. On the inside of the wheel, the central hub is enlarged at I8 to form a hub face for engaging the driving 35 box. The openings I4 between anges 8 on the outside of the wheel extend from the inner edge of the rim to the edge of the outer part of the hub 4, and the openings I5 between the inner flanges 9 extend to the edge of the widened inner 40 hub face I8. In order to Ifurther strengthen the wheel, any or all of the openings I4 and I5 may be omitted,

Extending between the rim I and the pin bearing portion 5 of the hub is a broad spoke 6a. 45 formed of a pair of Zs with their top flanges merged in a web I9 braced at the center by a radial rib. Transversely disposed flanges 20 connect the edges of web I9 and flanges 2 I, the latter being in the plane of and merging with the inner 50 flange parts 9 of the adjacent Z-shaped spokes. The flanges 2I are reinforced by beads 22 merging with beads I6 on the adjacent flanges 9, and the web I9 is braced at the center by a radial rib 23. This enlarged spoke 6a is for the pur- 55 pose of bracing the bearing 5 which receives connecting or driving rod forces. Web I9 is perforated at 24 to lighten the structure.

The rim I is of comparatively thin section and is braced by the web I9 and by merged portions I2 and I3 of the spoke flanges' and 9, these merged portions being positioned alternately near the outer and inner edges of the rim, respectively. As shown in Figure 6, the portions of the rim between the spokes are braced radially by a web such as I3.

All of the webs and flanges forming the Various spokes are relatively thin at the center and gradually increase in thicknessI in merging with the rim and hub. With reference to Figure l2, it will be seen that the flanges 8 and 9 of the spokes 6 gradually increase in thickness from the center outwardly and inwardly and merge with the rim I and hub 4 at their points of greatest thickness. With reference to Figure 1, it will be seen that the transverse webs 'I and flanges 20 similarly increase gradually in jthickness from the center towards the rim and hub. This gradual tapering of the spoke webs and flanges has the effect of equalizing shrinkage stresses between the spokes, rim and hub set up during solidiiication of the metal, by providing a gradual gradation in mass of the metal at the joints, instead of the sharp variation which would occur if uniformly thin webs and flanges mergeddirectly with the heavier rim and hub. j

In Figure 4 is shown a section through the mold in which the wheel center is cast and including the usual cope 26 and drag 21 rammed with green sand 28 and clamped together. It will lbe seen that alternating portions of the cope and rag project into the openings between transverse webs I and into openings I4 and I5 between the spoke flanges, thus avoiding the use of cores.

In Figure 7 is shown a wheel for car or engine trucks, the tire 29 being cast integral. All of the spokes 30 are Z-shaped in section, as are the spokes 6 in Figure 1, and the transverse webs 3l and outer and inner iianges 32 and 33, respectively, gradually increase in thickness from the center in merging with the rim 34 and hub 35. This wheel is formed similarly to that in the previous form and attains the same general advantages.

In Figures 11 and 12 is showna car wheel illustrating a somewhat modied form of spoke. 'Ihe wheel includes integrally formed tire 36, rim 31, hub 38 and spokes generally indicated at 39. Each spoke is formed of a triangular web 40 disposed transversely of the plane of the wheel and outer and inner iianges 4I and 42, respectively. 'Ihe corresponding. flanges of adjacent spokes merge at 43 and 44 near the edge of the hub. Flanges 4I and 42 follow the edges of triangular webs 40 and are, accordingly, substantially spaced apart at the hub end of the spokes and merge at 46 in a continuous line at the intersection of the spokes with the rim. Diagonal ribs 45 are provided at intervals around the wheel to reinforce the outer extremities of the spokes, these ribs constituting extensions of the web parts 40. This type of construction utilizes less metal than that in the previous forms and is especially advantageous where the wheel is not subjected to unusually heavy lateral forces.

In Figure 13 is shown a sectional portion of a mold for a wheel having spokes with a transverse web 4l which is inclined so as to facilitate the drawing of the pattern from the mold.

The novel disposition of the variouselements adapts the wheel to be readily formed by the most economical casting procedure, while at the same time affording maximum rigidity to the rim and maximum strength to resist lateral forces with a minimum of weight. The surfaces of the 5 castings above described can be readily cleaned, nished and inspected.V

While in certain of the figures is shown a thick tire with the flange integral, the rim can be made thinner to receive any form of tire. Various features of the invention may be advantageously used in vehicles other than railway locomotives and cars, and particularly, where a comparatively light wheel of great strength is required. The invention is not limited to the exact details shown, and these may be modied in various respects without departing from the spirit of the invention. The exclusive use of all such modiiications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

I claim: k

1. A vehicle wheel structure comprising hub and rim parts and connecting spokes of Z-shaped cross-section with flanges spaced transversely of the plane of the wheel, corresponding flanges of adjacent spokes extending towards each other and merging with each other and with said rim part adjacent one edge thereof whereby both edges of said rim part are reinforced at alternate intervals around the structure by substantial portions of said merging flanges.

2, A vehicle wheel center comprising hub and rim parts and structure connecting said parts including webs disposed transversely to the plane of the wheel, land flanges projecting substantially perpendicularly from said webs and merging with each other, alternate ones of said ilanges being spaced transversely of the plane of the wheel from the intervening ones, there being substantial openings between the merging flanges whereby all v40 of said webs and flanges co-operate to form Z- shaped spokes. Y

3. A cast metal railway vehicle wheel center structure adapted to be molded without cores and comprising continuous hub and rim parts and Z-section spokes connecting the same, said spokes having their webs disposed transversely to the general plane of the wheel structure and corresponding flanges of adjacent spokes extending towards and merging with each other and rein- 50 forcing alternate outer edge portions of said hub and rim parts, all of the spoke webs and flanges being relatively thin at their mid-points and uniformly increasing in thickness from said points to said hub and rim parts. y

4. In a railway vehicle wheel of cast metal, a hub, a rim, land a spoke of Z-shape cross-section between said hub and rim, said hub, rim, and spoke being formed integrally with each other with the web of said spoke extending transverse- -ly of the plane of the wheel and with the iianges of said spoke extending parallel to the plane of the wheel and substantially merging respectively with the corresponding faces of said hub and rim which are parallel to the plane of the wheel.

5. A locomotive driving wheel center of cast metal comprising a hub, a rim, a counterbalance, and a spoke of Z-shape cross-section between said hub and counterbalance, said hub, rim, spoke, and counterbalance being formed integrally with the web of said spoke extending transversely of the plane of the wheel and with the iianges of said spoke extending parallel to the plane of the wheel and substantially merging respectively with g5 the corresponding faces of said hub and counterbalance.

6. A locomotive driving wheel center of cast metal comprising a hub, a. rim, a counterbalance, and a plurality of spokes of Z-shape cross-section between said hub and counterbalance, said hub, rim, spokes and counterbalance being formed integrally, with the webs of said spokes extending transversely of the plane of the wheel and with the flanges of said spokes extending parallel to the plane of the wheel and substantially merging respectively with the corresponding faces of said hub and counterbalance which extend parallel to the plane of the Wheel, at least one pair of flanges on adjacent spokes facing towards each other and merging with each other intermediate said hub and counterbalance.

7. In a railway vehicle Wheel oT cast metal, a hub, a rim, and a plurality of spokes of Z-shape cross-section between said hub and rim, said hub, rim, and spokes being formed integrally with each other with the Webs of said spokes extending transversely of the plane of the wheel and with the ilanges of said spokes extending parallel to the plane of the wheel and substantially merging respectively with the corresponding faces of said hub and rim which extend parallel to the plane of the wheel, at least one pair of flanges on adjacent spokes facing towards each other and merging with each other intermediate said hub and rim.

HARRY M. PFLAGER. 

